There's no indication that kinestape is any more effective than regular taping. But regular tape can help and, when added to the placebo effect, this tape can have a positive effect on athletes. And since there's no downside to it, why not use the fancy stuff?

rka:basemetal: Hey, subbs, that tape may be useless, but when you have your nose all stopped up from a summer cold, those breathe right strips help a lot.

Eh..not really. This link is is specifically for sports effects, but it basically concludes that there is no measurable increase in air flow at all.

http://www.sportsci.org/traintech/breatheright/fch.htm

Behold the power of marketing and confirmation bias. You believed the ad, you spent the money, the last thing your delicate psyche wants to admit is that you were wrong. Happens all the time.

All I have to do is inhale while applying slight pulling pressure to my cheeks, as though I were applying eyeblack, and I can feel an increase in ease of inhalation. I've never used the breatheright strips, but the principle upon which they operate is easily proven.

I don't usually have a problem during sporting, since all the moving around clears up any static clogs, but I can imagine it must help some folks, especially while in bed/at a desk.

Generation_D:But but but .. if athletes use it, it must work! Right Gatorade? Right Phiten?

There have been controlled studies done -- in multiple countries, funded not by manufacturers -- that show that sports drinks do have a positive effect on restoring fluid balance compared to coconut water, regular/distilled water, and lemon tea/lemon water.

I had bicep tendonitis and my physiotherapist put that tape all over my arm. I thought it was a complete crock but put up with it because she was hot. Then everything started healing quicker about two weeks later and a month later I was pain free, a full two months sooner than we expected. If it is a placebo then it's a damn good one.

In other news it wasn't until I had a smoking hot therapist that I realized that it's a compound word of "The Rapist". It's almost like she was ASKING for it!

I got a case of that stuff from a shwag table at a cycling event I recently worked. I have a jacked up shoulder. It seems to help if you tape it up right. If it's a placebo effect, I'm ok with that. I don't know if I'll ever drop actual american money on it though.

rka:Eh..not really. This link is is specifically for sports effects, but it basically concludes that there is no measurable increase in air flow at all.

http://www.sportsci.org/traintech/breatheright/fch.htm

Behold the power of marketing and confirmation bias. You believed the ad, you spent the money, the last thing your delicate psyche wants to admit is that you were wrong. Happens all the time

Before I had surgery, I used to use those strips. When I didn't use them, I snored like crazy. When I did use them, I didn't snore at all or barely did. And I'm pretty sure I'm not just thinking that it worked because I bought them -- I'm not the one who knows I'm snoring and can tell the difference, my wife is the one who would wake up due to my snoring. Maybe in sports there's not a big increase in airflow, but they sure as hell work for some schmo laying in his bed at night sleeping.

I never trust any study that says "so and so works"...or "so and so does not work"

Would not be surprised that the people who claim kinesio tape does not work...have money invested in Ace Bandages

All kinesio is meant to do if offer support for injured or weakened joints and muscles. It seems to be OK for that if trainers and others are using it. Some thing you cannot rap with ace bandage and tape

Eddie T. Head:ThisIsntMe: Lee's_Austin: count_chimpula: Lee's_Austin: They (science) said the same thing about Duck Tape. Now it's in everyone's garage and a significant item to everyone's fallout shelter.

Oh please, everyone knows that the only way that you can survive a nuclear attack is by climbing inside a refrigerator.

Little Known Fact: Indiana Jones had a roll of Duck Tape stored on his person at all times. It's how he beat the Nazis, Communism and leaky pipes.

What the Fark is Duck tape? I use duct tape rather often. It's grey and sticky as heck, tapes up air ducts and such, which is why it's grey I guess.

Duck tape. A brand name of duct tape and other products. Link

And duck, or duct tape, as many prefer, isn't actually that great to use on duct work. Foil tape is much better in the conditions that ducts find themselves.

"Its shown to be beneficial" by the institute of dubious and paid for results, often quoted whenever a fad product arrives. Confirmation bias, superstition and fad. Athletes are kind of famous for it. Which is why we like to mock them.

Still waiting to see that Phiten study proving "titanium-infused fibers" enhances athletic performance.